Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Two Brothers: One North One South

Walt Whitman feared that the real war would never get in the books—the true stories that depicted the courage and humanity of soldiers who fought, bled, and died in the American Civil War...

My Take:

Rarely have I ever read such a polarizing book as "Two Brothers: One North One South". This book reads like a text book early on, and, if you are interested in the Civil War, I think this just may well become one of your all-time favorite books. However, if you are looking for less military history, or the Civil War just isn't your bag, you might find this book dry as dry can be. I myself, really enjoyed the text booky feel . This book is impeccably researched, and the characters are solid, relatable, and interesting, they are very well explored and fleshed out. The dialogue at the beginning of the book did feel a bit strange. There was no narration, so filling the contemporary reader in on current events was up to the characters, and it felt more like a newscast, or a formal letter, rather than dialogue. Like I said, this book was extraordinarily polarizing, and as such I will assign a dual a rating. Again, if the America Civil War is your thing, you enjoy military history, or you are in an American History class, and you are looking for historical accuracy (aside from the fictional main characters of course) I recommend a 1, Pay at Full Price. You definitely get your money's worth. and will find this a wonderful addition to your permanent library However, if the Civil War is not your thing, I give this book a 3, Find a Used Book Store, if anything, its a great history lesson.

Do you agree with my review? Do you think I'm totally off base? Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel!

If this book were a movie, it would likely be rated PG for some combat violence.

Now a few words with the author, David H. Jones:

The Book Buff:: I think the title concisely and effectively tells the reader what your book is about, how did you come up with it?

David H. Jones: Walt Whitman wrote about the Prentiss brothers in "Memoranda During the War". The title of his article was "Two Brothers: One South, One North" . . . I merely reversed "South" and "North" to retain the flavor created by the poet.

TBB: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

DHJ: Very much so! I want readers to understand that soldiers who fought on both sides were American patriots and worthy of our respect and appreciation. .

TBB: I absolutely love the cover of your book, who designed it?

DHJ: The cover of "Two Brothers" won the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award for cover design. This outstanding design was created by Charles Brock of faceoutstudio (formerly The Design Works Group).

TBB: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

DHJ: My sincere wish for my readers is that they are both entertained and educated while reading "Two Brothers" . . . it tells the quintessential story of the American Civil War.

TBB: What is your muse? What inspires you?

DHJ: The Untied States of America . . . an exceptional, historic nation.

I've been a follower for a while now and truly enjoy your reviews.The Civil War has always interested the social scientist and journalist in me. And I've always been fascinated by the aspect of it written in this book. Families were divided not only by the war, but by their personal convictions, as well. And, indeed, brother fighting against brother must have been the ultimate sacrifice to give for your nation and your beliefs.That said, I'd love to win this book. Thanks.

I'd love to read this. It was a very pivotal point it seems in our nation's history. Having read Team of Rivals, and how Lincoln handled things, it would be interesting to see perspectives from the non-political side also.

I love stories that tell both sides of a subject. There is so much we don't know about the War between the States but this book can show us this side.The review was great and the authors interview helped us see how this book came about.Thanks for this great giveaway.

I would very much like a copy of this book. Our family had a one shot the other incident after the Civil War. My email is stephaniesuesansmith@gmail.com and my blog is http://blog.stephaniesuesansmith.com.

I enjoyed and liked your review. You were very clear and specific. I love, love the cover. I also love History, Military and anything at all to do with the Civil War. I'd love to win this one. Thanks for the opportunity.Carol L.Lucky4750@aol.com

I have just joined your blog and so far I am enjoying your reviews. I always enjoy reading others opinions of books. I have a book review blog site myself, however it is very new and I am still tweaking it, http://booksintheattic81.blogspot.comAnyway, this is exactly the type of storyline I have been looking for in a book recently, so I would really love to win it and review it on my blog.